Arc welding apparatus



Sept. 28, 1931. .A, M R s 2,094,411

ARC WELDING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 26 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 54 Q as 35 .57 INVENTOR a2 /a1 fllberl M. Jfoss M ATTORN Y Sept. 28, 1937. A. M. Ross 2,094,411

ARC WELDING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 26, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 g; 5 L 5 A zz g is 24 /25 mm! 1m 54 i I r 4.9

I INVENTOR 56 B /Jlber/ 1% 11 0s.;

ATTORN Patented Sept.

UNE'FE; STATES PATENT OFFICE atmifiiilpmm Albert M. Ross, New Britain, Conn. Application December 26, 1934, Serial No. 759,141

some.

The present invention relates to the art of automatic arc welding and more particularly to means and apparatus the welding electrod designed to hold and guidewith automatic welding units.

The usual installation presently employed in automatic arc welding consists of a welding electrode which is automatically fed from a reel to the weld zone by means of a suitable feed roller arrangement. The the weld zone is trode holder nected to an electric current conductor.

e that is used in connection electrode as it advances to I adapted to which is positioned over the object electrode passes through the nozzle, it makes a rubbing contact therewith and the current is thus conducted through where an electric the metallic electrode 'the object to be welded. One of the dimculties the electrode to the weld zone,

involved in the use of the present type of automatic weldingapparatus is the excessive with the free vances to the weld of the objects of the means for the electrode,

due to the lubricants used and the accumulation of foreign matter,

thus interferring passage of the electrode as it adzone. present It is, therefore, one invention to provide flexible in character,

current contacting thus insuring the emcient operation of the automatic welding unit.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be pointed out hereafter and will in With the above and other objects in view, the

present invention consists of the novel constmotion and arrangement of parts hereafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming an integral part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the automatic welding unit showing an embodiment of my present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of said auto- 10 matic welding unit;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of said automatic welding unit;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the welding apparatus constructed in accordance 15 with the principles of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; front elevational view of present invention; v

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the feed roller arrangement as seen along the line 8-4 of Fig.

7, and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed view along line 25 9-9 of Fig. 2 illustrating the drum and winding as embodied in the present invention.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, It represents the welding electrode, consisting of any suitable welding wire, which is unwound from the drum l I mounted on a spindle l2 secured to the carriage ii. The carriage I 3 is provided with wheels 43 and 44, running on rails 45 and 48 upon a suitable support 41. Mounted on suitable shafts secured to the carriage ii are the straightening rollers I4, I! and I6 and therebelow the feed roller arrangement which will be more fully described hereinafter. The electrode [0 is guided from the 40 drum H between the straightening rollers and then between the feed rollers, and is advanced by the feed rollers through the electrode holder I! to the weld zone and to the work 40.

The electrode holder is comprises a head 2|, 45 which is supported 20, lustrated more clearly in Fig.

groove on its upper side to form a seat for one 50 end of a spring 24. A sleeve 22 having a laterally extending flange 22, and an annular groove on its under side, is carried on the barrel 2! and rests on the other end of the spring 24. Integral with the lower end of the barrel 2 is a base plate 28 to which the upper ends of the pairwise mem-v bers 29 and 35 are pivotally secured, the lower converging ends of which are pivotally connected to the jaws 3| and 32, and are preferably provided with porcelain bushingsto insulate the joints from electrical and heat conduction. A

pair of rods 26 and 21 having their upper ends connected to the flange 23 extend longitudinally on opposite sides of the barrel 25, through apertures in the base plate 28, the lower ends of said rods terminating in a toggle joint 35 having members 33 and 35 pivotally connected to the members 29 and 30. The jaws 3i and 32 are preferably provided on their inner surfaces with inserts 35 and 36' for engaging and contacting the electrode l0.

Electrical conductors 31 and 38 are attached to the jaws 3| and 32 and to a boss 39 integral with the base plate 2.8. A conductor 4! leading from a source of electricity is connected to the work piece 40 while another conductor 42 leading from the said source of electricity is connected to the head 2! and to the boss 39. A conductor 48 has one end connected to the head 2| and the other end contacts by means of a brush 48 with an end plate H on the drum H. The end plate II is connected with the end of the electrode winding ill, as illustrated in Fig. 9.

As illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 thefeed roller arrangement comprises a pair of oppositely arranged grooved gears 49 and 50 having their teeth arranged on a slant so as to engage tangentially from opposite sidesat the point of their engagement of the electrode Ill; The gears 49 and 50 are mounted on shafts IT and 5| secured to the carriage l3 in parallel spaced relationship. The.

shaft 5| carries a drive gear 52 and a coupling gear 53 which meshes with a similar gear 54 on shaft il.

From the foregoing description, having simultaneous reference to the drawings, the operation and use of my novel arc welding apparatus will be entirely clear. It will be .evident that-the toggle and spring arrangement by means of which the electrode is held and guided to the work provides resilient means of engaging the electrode as it advances to the weld zone, and thus elimi-' nates wear at the contact point and permits free movement of the electrode. vided by this arrangement positive current contacting means, thus preventing arcing at the contact point and insuring the efiicient operation of the welding unit. It will be further evident that the connection of the end of the electrode winding to the head of the electrode holder, as illustrated in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 of the drawings, provides a current path to the electrode in parallel with one lead of the circuit, so that in the event there is a tendency of arcing at the contact points between the electrode and the contacting members due to broken contact, the current willv be diverted through the electrode winding, and the resistance of the coil will tend to eliminate the arcing.

It will be evident that the principle of my invention while mainly devised for use with automatic metallic arc welding units, may also be adapted for use with automatic carbon are units, and that it may also be used for the continuous feed of any type of welding electrode, whether it is bare or composite coated welding wire and may be suitably adapted to manual applications. I do not wish to restrict myself to the specific embodiment of my invention as disclosed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and I,

There is also proclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an electric welding apparatus, substantially as described, an electrode holder comprising a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode to the work piece, a toggle arrangement provided at the end of said conduit carrying cooperating contact members for engaging the electrode, and spring means mounted on said conduit and connected to said contact members .whereby they are held resiliently against the electrode.

2. In an electricwelding apparatus, substan-' tially as described, a toggle arrangement for frictionally engaging the electrode comprising a. transverse plate, cooperating jaws located below said plate, spring means located above said plate, members pivotally attached to said plate and to said jaws, other members pivotally attached to said first members, and third members pivotally attached to said second members and connected with said spring means.

3. In an electric welding apparatus, substantially as described, an electrode holder comprising a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode to the work-piece, cooperating contact members located below said conduit, spring means mounted onsaid conduit, members pivotally attached to said conduit and to said contact members, and other members pivotally attached to said first named members and to said spring means whereby the contact members are held in frictional engagement against the electrode.

4. In an electric welding apparatus, substantially as described, an electrode holder comprising a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode to the work piece, a plurality of cooperating contact members located below said conduit, spring means mounted on said conduit, members each having one end pivotally attached to the conduit and the other end pivotally attached to one of said contact members, other members each having one end pivotally attached to one of said first mentioned members intermediate the ends thereof and the other end pivotally attached to members connected to saidspring means, whereby the contact members are held in frictional engagement against the electrode.

5. An electric welding apparatus comprising an electrode winding, means for continuously feeding the electrode to the work piece, a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode, a toggle arrangement provided at the end of said conduit having cooperating contact members for engaging the electrode, spring means mounted on said conduit and connected to said contact members whereby they are held resiliently against the electrode, and means for supplying welding current to the electrode through said contact members. v i

6. An electric welding apparatus comprising an electrode winding, means for continuously feeding the electrode to the work piece, a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode, cooperating contact members for engaging the electrode, a circuit. for supplying welding current to the electrode through said contact members, and a resistance in parallel with the supply lead of the circuit, so that the supply current may flow into and through the electrode ance.

7. An electric welding apparatus comprising an electrode winding, means for continuously feeding the electrode to the work piece, a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode, cooperating contact members for engaging the electrode, a circuit for supplying welding current to the electrode through said contact members, the electrode winding being arranged in parallel with the supply lead of the circuit so that. the supply current may flow into and through the electrode through said winding.

through said resist- 8. An electric welding apparatus comprising an electrode windlnm; means for continuously feeding the electrode to the work piece. a vertically disposed conduit for guiding the electrode, cooperating contact members {or engaging the elec-- trode near the arcing terminal, a circuit for supplying welding current to the electrode through said contact members, the end of the electrode winding being connected to the supply lead of the circuit to provide a supply path to the electrode in parallel with the circuit through the contact points.

, ALBERT M. 

